Shipping box for baby chicks



March 25, 1930. A B H.LKEMEYER 1,752,177

SHIPPING BOX FOR BABY CHICKS Filed Oct. 31) 1927 ooooooo no 5 6 lNVENTQR ,9 4.5. ff/ugs/vayza 3119-5, BY

. ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 25, 1930 ALBERT B. HILKEMEYER, F WESTPHALIA, MISSQURI snrrrme BOX non BABY onions Application filed October 31,

This invention relates to baby chick shipping boxes.

A primary object of the invention is to so construct a box of this character that the chicks, while being supplied with sufficient ventilation are fully portected against drafts and chilling.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a' box of this character each compartment of which has chambers of varying temperatures so that the chicks may move at will, to a warmer orcooler place to meet their individual needs.

Another object is to provide a double- 1 walled shipping box for'baby chicks, the inner wall of which is equipped with a hinge top to facilitate packing of the chicks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a box of this characterhaving the bottom, portions of the sides, and the top equipped with a lining which will be held removably in the compartments forming a well ventilated draft protected chamber for safely shipping the chicks insuring their arrival in fine condition.

In carrying out these objects, the invention is susceptible of a wide rings of modification without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the claimed invention; there being shown in thedrawings for illustrative purposes a I preferred and practical form, in which: i

Figure 1 represents a perspective viewof a shipping box constructed in accordance with this invent-ion, shown with the top applied,

Fig.2 is a similar view with the topremoved and two of the compartments shown with the inner lining removed, the wallof one compartment being broken away at one end to show the cooling chamber of'the compartment,

Fig. 8 is ahorizontal section of the box,

Fig. 4 is a transverse section,and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of'the blank from which the inner lining or wall of one of the compartments is constructed.

, In the embodiment illustrated, an ordinary shipping box 1 is shown such as'is usually used for shipping baby chicks and constructed ings, which,as' is understood, may be done 1927. Serial No. 230,024. I

of corrugated paper. The outer wall of this box is provided with a plurality of ventilating apertures 2 any desired number of which may be employed, and the box which may be of any desired size, is preferably divided by partitions 3 and 4: extending longitudinally and transversely, respectively, forming four compartments 5. The longitudinal partitions 8 are here shown provided with ventilating apertures 8 but these may be dispensed with if found necessary. The outer side walls 6 are also preferably provided with aper tures 6 covered by paper flaps 6 which may be left to cover the apertures, or through which holes may be made to register with the apertures so that any desired number of such'apertures may be formed to permit air to pass through the side walls.

The usual removable top 8 is provided for the box 1 and has transversely extending 70 cleats 9 arranged at spaced intervals to form spaceswhen the boxes are set one above the other so that air may pass between the boxes and reach the chicks through the ventilating openings 10, any desired number of which may be employed, and which may, if desired, have paper strips pasted under them so that the apertures may be punched through these strips as 'desired,'according to the amount of ventilation required.

This top is also shown provi ded with a plurality of longitudinally extending slots 11 which also have paper strips 12 pasted thereunder for controlling the ventilating @openby punching holesthrough the strips.

The gist of this invention resides in form ing a lining for the compartments 5, the blank from which said lining is formed being shown at 15 in Fig. 5'. This lining is made preferably from a single sheet of corrugated. paper which is' cut to form a bottom 16 of a size to fit snugly in the compartment in connection with which it is to be used, and thereby hold the lining against wabbling. Extendingupwardly from theside edges of the bottom 16 are two side members 17 and 18 connected along the linesofl'fold'19, and which extend about three-quarters of the length of thebottom, terminating short of 7 that the featuresand advantages of the inone end thereof, for a purpose presently to be described. A top member 20 of the same length as the side members 17 and 18 e2;- tends along the upper edge of the side memher 17, being hingedly connected therewith along the line of fold 21, which is designed to extend across and close the greater portion of the top of the compartment 5, that is, the portion in rear of the bottom extension 16 This top 20 has along its free edge, a depending flange 22, which, when the top is in operative position, is designed to overlap the free upper edge of the side member 18. It Will thus be seen that this lining 15 when applied, forms a double-walled structure for thehottom, sidewalls, and top of its compartment, the inner end of the compartment formed by the transverse artition l being composed of a single wall only, although ob viously this may be doubled if it is found desirable to do so.

Attached to and depending from the front edge of the top 20 is a curtain 23, preferably formed of flannelette, or other suitable fabric, and glued or otherwise secured to the top, and which depends in front of the compartment, and is slit, as shown at 24 to permit the chicks to pass freely into and out of the douhle-Walled'portion of the compartment, which We will call the warming chamber.

This arrangement provides two chambers for each compartment, one being'the warming chamber located in rear of the curtain 23 and the other which is located in front of said curtain being what maybe termed a cooling chamber, to which the chicks may have access when they require more air, or desire to cool off. It is, of course, understood that the slit curtain protects the chicks against drafts, and it does not interfere with their free passage to and from the chambersof the compartments.

The hinged top 20 provides for the ready placing of the chicks in the compartments, and for the confining of them within said compartments when the other compartments are being filled and While the top 8 is ofi.

Vfhenthe chicks have .heenpl'aced in the various'compartments of this box,'and they become comfortably warm in the warming chambers in rear of the curtain 23, they will i come out of the brooder portion of the box to V the ventilating or cooling chamber at the front where the fresh air renders these chambers cooler. When the chicks become cold and feelthe need of more warmth, they will retreatto the rear part of the compartment enclosed in the doubled fiber board with the curtain in front, thus providing the necessary protection for the chicks and insuring their arrival in fine condition. I

Without further description, it is thought vention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or its scope as claimed.

I claim i 1. A baby chick shipping box having a compartment with an inner lining formed from single sheet of material folded to proride a bottom, sides and top, the top having a depending flange along its free side edge to overlap one of the sides of the lining the sides and top terminating short of the front end of the bottom so that when applied the compartment will be double-walled throughout a portion only thereof to form a warming and a cooling chamber for the chicks, and a curtain depending from the top of the lining to separate said chambers.

A. baby chickshipping box comprising a compartment having a lining extending over the entire bottom thereof, and over a portion of the side walls and top, the top being short than the bot-tom with a curtain depending :rom the front edge of the, top to separate the :empartment into a warming and a cooling *hamber.

Signed at l/Vestphalia, in the county of Osage and State of Missouri this 29th day .of October, A. D. 1927. Y

' ALBERT B. HILKEMEYER. 

